The Woman Next door (Niah and Orpheus001)

James Wytte was a guy who had everything he could ask for. Money, Girls, A Famous Name, and the looks, the problem with all of that was he needed more substance in his life than form. Although he was brought up in a lifestyle where people were shallow and never looked past the others designer outfits. He had somehow managed to escape the shallowness. He yearned for people who were more like him, the only problem with that was, he could not be seen hanging out with a kid from downtown. That would ruin the family name as his father put it. The standards set before him were quite high and the expectation that he would live to those standards.

His hate for his Society and Social standing was not only because of the shallowness but because his father although seemingly the perfect figurehead of excellence on the outside was not even an ounce of it inside. He saw his father once maybe twice a year since he was only 9. His mother had died when he was only 5 and since then he had only grown up with maids or nannies. That was probably one of the reasons why he had hated the life he had, even though so many would kill for it. It wasn’t the fact that he was ungrateful; it was merely the fact that there was a lack of genuine love in his life.

The thirst to prove himself and get his father’s approval in any way or form, he had gone to business school finished top of his class and yet was ignored by his father for the most part. Even though he had been quite good, his father did not want James anywhere near the business. He had a trust fund and that was all it was. Money was all he had for his son, and James had made his peace with the fact. Once that was done he focused and used his trust fun to open a chain of restaurants. It was something he enjoyed and loved. They had gained quite a bit of popularity and now worked as a nice distraction from his otherwise boring life.

James Lived at the end of Wytt street named after his fore fathers who had all been living on the same street in the same mansion that he now lived in. His room held a lesser view, of the street overlooking all the other houses from the end of the street. It had been the same view every morning with the trophy wives getting up in the morning and peeking in on neighbors and gossiping about who had an affair with who. Or who had been wearing the least expensive dress at a party. The Wytte family was above the gossiping and if his father had any interest in James, he would have been bombarded with proposals for marriage from various other families. But that was not the case, his father rarely attended any parties and as such it was his duty to *represent the family*.

The early morning jog was the few times when he found himself really happy. It was a time when he could blend into the crowd and just be like many of the other people around the city. He looked out of his window and saw the usual sprinklers going the wives either talking over the fences or looking through the windows at each other. The only irregularity in that perfect or rather mundane image was the house which had just recently been occupied. Every morning since the last few days the house was sold there had been no such activity. James had first planned to buy the house as a bachelor pad for his friends since he was not allowed to throw parties in the mansion, but he had waited too long and the family had paid a higher price for the house.

If there was something he had taken from his father it was following a routine, almost like a clock. He was up and getting dressed before breakfast he went for a jog, on his way out he would always see the woman who had raised him. Although for quite some time now she had distanced herself, it was most likely because his father had told her something. James had stopped caring now. His spot was usually a park near the house where many people came just relax.

His route led him past the new house although even at a fast walking pace the house was 5 minutes away. By the time he got there he saw someone come out dressed in running clothes it seemed.

Amber Phillips' morning hadn't gotten off to a good start. Very early in the day she had been woken by the sounds of her husband attempting to get dressed in the dark. He was trying his best to be as quiet as possible, but was failing miserably. The businessman stumbled about and tripped over, making several noises loud enough to wake the blonde from her sleep. Flipping on the bedside lamp, Amber squinted into the dimly lit room and caught sight of her husband. He was half dressed, a smart white shirt accompanied by a brown tie was upon his torso. However his bottom half was only covered by his boxers, as his suit trousers lay about his ankles. Clearly he had been attempting to pull them up before falling over and causing a ruckus. "Michael, what the hell are you doing? It's still dark outside." Amber asked sleepily, as she began to rub her eyes. "Sorry sweetie, didn't mean to wake you, just go back to sleep." He replied, pulling his trousers up in haste. "Wait... why... why are you getting dressed into your suit?" With each passing moment the female was beginning to get more clarity and what she saw didn't please her.

Michael seemed apprehensive to admit what was going on to his wife and for good reason. As the penny dropped, her eyes began to widen. "You're not going into work?!" All of a sudden Amber wasn't feeling so tired anymore. "Honey I've got to" Michael replied. He moved like lightening to fetch his shoes, obviously the man could feel that an argument was on the horizon. "No! No! I took time off work so we could sort this house out together. I've had to hand Elijah's case on to someone else for this and now you're just going to ditch me?!" Amber was a social worker and it frustrated her no end how Michael seemed to think that her job wasn't as important as his. It was true that he was earning a higher wage than her, but this wasn't about money! Not to Amber! It was about helping those less fortunate, making a difference in their lives and keeping them safe, healthy and happy.

Right now she was in the middle of a very important case, involving the suspected child neglect of a young boy named Elijah. She hadn't wanted to take time off from work. In fact she hadn't even wanted to move here in the first place. However Michael had begged and pleaded with her to do so. Stating how the move was the best thing for them as a married couple. He said that it would bring them closer together. Now here he was; not even unpacked and already shirking responsibilities. "I know, I'm sorry... I wouldn't go in if it wasn't an emergency." Amber gave a look of complete and utter disbelief. "I can't believe this! Your job has an emergency and you disappear. I have an eight year old boy counting on me, but that didn't seem much of an emergency to you when you asked me to take time off!" Michael grabbed his suit jacket and his papers. "Amber, I don't want to do this right now. I'll be home as soon as I can." He leaned over to give his wife a kiss, but Amber turned her head and so it landed upon her cheek instead. The act may have bothered him, maybe even hurt him a little. However he clearly didn't have time to worry about it, as he soon left the house and Amber could hear his car backing out of the drive.

After that less than ideal wake up call, Amber found it impossible to go back to sleep and so decided to get out of bed. The woman began to wander around the house aimlessly, there were boxes all over the place. The couple had purchased this home a few days ago, but had only moved in last night. Today was supposed their time to get some belongings unpacked and organized. Amber wasn't keen on this house, it was far too big for her liking. Growing up in a small two bedroom apartment meant that she just wasn't used to such a vast amount of space. She also wasn't used to having wealthy businessmen and plastic trophy wives for neighbors. Amber was born into much more humble beginnings. Her mother had to raise her alone thanks to her deadbeat father walking out on them. Barely able to afford the bills, she worked what seemed like every hour of the day.

Although her mother always gave her unconditional love, Amber soon became a latchkey kid. Having to let herself in and out of their home, waking up in the morning to an empty house and going to bed the same way. The neighborhood was rough and the young girl soon found herself falling in with the wrong crowd. It wasn't until social services stepped in that her life began to improve. They didn't take her away from her mum. Instead they gave her the help and support that she needed to get Amber back on the right track. If it wasn't for her social worker, Amber's life could have easily gone very down hill. She would always be grateful and it was of course what led her to become one herself. She thought that her nights of going to bed alone were gone when she met Michael. For awhile he was the perfect husband, then ambition took over and he became obsessed with getting to the top. Now nothing was more important than his work, not even her it seemed.

Feeling too frustrated to even attempt unpacking an entire house alone. Amber instead changed into her jogging outfit, a pair of grey tracksuit bottoms, white vest and matching Nike trainers. She tied her long blond hair into a high ponytail and then left the house. Running was something that always made Amber feel better. It was a simple, yet effective outlet in which to put her spare energy. Sometimes it made her feel like she was escaping from her problems. When she ran; the world was calm and steady, if only for a short time. So engrossed was she, that when Amber exited her home, she hadn't realized there was a second jogger approaching her. With her earphones wedged in tightly, music began to fill her ears and soon she was off jogging down the road.

James had jogged out at the park for many years now it was a routine he had gotten himself into and never really missed a day unless he wasn’t home or was too hung over to continue. He had seen all the faces that were usually in the park at the time he went there. Today however directly behind him was someone new, it was the neighbor who had just moved in. Although it seemed that she was more running off her anger than relaxing like James had been doing every day. This was not something that really bothered him but at the same time she was amongst the very few in the neighborhood was at the park, most of them would work out in their homes. So he was naturally a little curious.

He took a few moments to see if he could slow down without drawing attention to himself. It took a couple of laps before he was almost alongside her. He could see that she had her earphones on which meant that she would probably not hear him even If he tried to talk, which would only make him look awkward. On a closer look it was clear that she wasn’t someone his age either, she was older probably married, maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all he thought to himself. That was when he noticed one of the other women from around the neighborhood catch up to him. The two of them got talking for a while until they came upon the topic of the new neighbor. Melissa was one of the younger wives in the neighborhood and usually flirted with James in parties. Although he never reciprocated he just didn’t tell her off either.

She was quick to stop the new woman on the block in her tracks as she came running towards them “Hey, there, I am Melissa, this is James, we all live in the same neighborhood, and I take it you are the lady that just moved into house no. 24?” she asked her, her questions and her tone were both a little too eager. But for people who knew her for some time it was a common thing, she just spoke that way, although for someone who just met her it would be an awkward first encounter.

For the most part, Amber was pretty much in her own world. Her heartbeat began to race and her body temperature was on the rise due to her jogging pace increasing. Though, she'd have to be blind and completely unaware of her own personal space, not to notice as the jogger from before finally came to run alongside her. Her eyes only glanced across for the slightest of seconds. She would be surprised if the male had even noticed. Amber hadn't managed to get a particularly good look at him. Only enough to know that he was a man and that was about it. Before she even had chance to consider a second glance, a woman approached and began talking to him. Not wishing to interrupt, Amber simply carried on around the park and did another lap. Upon coming back around, the man and woman were still stood there chatting. The woman looked to Amber and then did something quite unexpected. She literally stopped Amber in her tracks by standing out in front of her. "Jesus!" Amber came to a halt just in time and luckily didn't end up crashing straight into the other female.

What the hell? Who walked out in front of someone like that when they were jogging? Amber yanked on her earphones to hear that the woman was already rabbiting away. Melissa was far too enthusiastic, plus she seemed to have no sense of boundaries as she stood up close to her. For a moment Amber just stood there dumbfounded, before her eyes finally looked from Melissa to James. The man was young, at least ten or so years younger than herself. He was handsome though, there was no doubt about that. She looked back to Melissa, a slow "hi" escaping from her lips. "I'm Amber and yeah, me and my husband just moved in last night. Place is so big it'll take us years to unpack, that's if I don't get lost inside before then." She gave an awkward laugh before scrambling for something else to say. "You... you guys live there long?" Her accent showed that she didn't grow up wealthy. It wasn't prim or proper and she didn't always use the right amount of words needed to form a correct sentence. Sometimes missing one or two out in order to shorten the conversation, like many people from her neighborhood did.

James liked staying quiet, especially when Melissa was around, it was hard enough getting her to stop talking, without giving her more topics. However the woman she had just stopped had no idea, James stood there with a light smirk on his face as she asked a question. That was probably going to drag Melissa on for a good 10 minutes. He could see her eyeing him lightly it was clear she had never lived in a place like this mostly because of her attire and because of the way she spoke. It took Melissa 5 minutes to stop talking enough so she could be interrupted. "I have lived there all my life, and my father too..." That was as far as he got before Melissa continued.

"Oh the Wyttes have lived here for Nearly 100 years as far as I know, the street is named after James' great grandfather" she said chipping away excitedly. James had to cut her short again "I think she doesn't need to know about my families history, Tell us about yourself Amber" He wanted to know how she had come about, her husband was no one they knew or not really a big businessman like most people, but then again most of the people had lived with them for years so they had gotten to know each other. She was new on the block so she was the newbie. "If you want some help or something feel free to drop by, I am sure we can help you out." he said with a light smile at her. The atmosphere was good, it was early morning the air was slightly nippy but that was only because he was sweating now his hood was cold.

Amber had instantly regretted adding to the conversation. She should have simply introduced herself and continued jogging. Instead like an idiot, she had to go and give a follow up question. Her eyes widened as Melissa began to talk so fast and so enthusiastically, that it almost felt like she was consuming all of the immediate air supply into her mouth. Amber's eyes glanced to James and she could see a tiny grin upon his face. It was clear that encouraging Melissa had been a mistake and Amber felt like she had stumbled into a trap.

James attempted to the get a word in edgewise, but he wasn't even able to complete his sentence before Melissa began to finish it for him. Amber almost felt sorry for him, having to be neighbors with the other woman for so long. People cutting her off mid sentence, drove Amber crazy and if she had to put up with Melissa doing it on a regular basis, it would no doubt irritate her no end. Amber did give a look of surprise though, when Melissa informed her that the street was named after James' family. Wow, so he must have been some pretty important guy, huh? It was weird, she always had this image of how men like that were and for some reason he just didn't seem to fit it.

The fact that James was so renowned clearly impressed and excited Melissa. Although she seemed like a nice enough woman, Amber got the sense that she was also someone who valued money and sex appeal, James had both. However for Amber, the amount of wealth that someone had didn't impress her all that much. So apart from her initial surprise, her demeanor remained unchanged upon finding out James' status. Luckily the young man then stopped Melissa from talking, it seemed that he didn't want his family to be the center of this discussion. Amber smiled at that, it was refreshing to see that he wasn't self absorbed. Instead he seemed more interested in her.

"Oh... well, we moved up here from east downtown. Michael, my husband, he got this promotion at work and it came with a pay rise. He really liked this neighborhood and so, here we are. I mean, I don't expect you'll see me around that much. My job will have me going back to downtown a lot, I'm a social worker and a lot of my cases are based there." She explained. "But thank you James." She replied to his offer of help and returned his smile. To be honest, with her husband leaving her alone to do the entire house, she was actually in need of some assistance. However she probably wouldn't end up asking James, not wanting to impose and all that. Amber began to also feel the small tingling sensation of cold upon her skin. She either needed to get inside or keep jogging in order to warm herself up. "It was really nice to meet you both, but I should probably..." She hinted at her needing to leave.

James had been too late to warn Amber about the trap she had walked into and now it was all upto Melissa and when she ran out of topics, however they all needed to complete their run to exercise unlike Melissa who could burn a few hundred calories simply by talking on and on. When James finally managed to stop her and allowed Amber to resume, he was a little surprised, her husband had not been seen anywhere, everyone assumed she did have one, but he never seemed to be around.

“Well I am glad at least someone here is working for the good of the community. Not a lot of people do that, and some cannot do it even if they want to” he said with a light smile. She thanked him for the help however it was more of a formal thanks, but no thanks kind of an answer. He smiled lightly at her, “well you know where to find me if you need any advice, but yes, I think I should complete my run as well, Have good day Melissa” He said to her although not waiting for her to answer he shot of alongside Amber knowing that if they didn’t leave while they were talking, they might end up standing there for another half an hour.

“I am sorry about that” he said to her with a light smile as he continued jogging alongside her and smiled a little “Melissa is a little enthusiastic, but she is harmless otherwise” he said with a smile as they continued with their run. He was not very good at making small talk especially to strangers on a jog.


(Hey just so I have something to reply to, can you create something new to talk about on your character's end? because My guy can only do so much without getting any helpful hints.